Deputy Police Ministers in South Africa have not been assigned duties for months

Deputy Police Ministers Cassel Mathale and Polly Boshielo are yet to be assigned duties by the Acting Police Minister, despite having been in office for over three months.

Mathale revealed this at the Parliament’s Ad-hoc committee investigating allegations of a captured criminal justice system on 28 October.

Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Glynnis Breytenbach grilled Mathale on, among other things, the functioning of the Police Ministry.

Mathale told Breytenbach that, even as an acting Minister appointed after Police Minister Senzo Mchunu was placed on gardening leave, Professor Firoz Cachalia was exercising his executive authority.

“I have no doubt. What concerns me is, do we have two deputy ministers?” asked Breytenbach. “Has he delegated any authority, function, work, anything at all to his two deputies?”

“No. We have met and discussed that matter I think a week or two back, before he left for the trip with the President to Malaysia and Vietnam,” said Mathale.

“He’s back, I saw him before I came here. He will be able to delegate responsibilities, I guess. But we did discuss that matter with him.

According to section 93 of the constitution, while Deputy Ministers are not Members of the Cabinet, they are required to assist the relevant Ministers in the execution of their duties.

South Africa’s 43 deputy ministers each draw an over R2.2 million annual salary, which excludes VIP perks.

What is it that you do every day when you go to work?

Mathale then faced a further grilling from Breytenbach, as she pressed him to explain what he actually does each day, given that no responsibilities have been formally delegated to him.

“What is it, Mr. Mathale, that you do every day when you go to work?” Breytenbach asked pointedly, noting that his duties had not been clearly defined.

Mathale replied that his office follows a “monthly programme” guiding their daily work.

“The fact that we are not delegated responsibilities does not mean that we don’t have responsibilities that we are dealing with as a ministry,” he said.

He added vaguely that his schedule involves “engagements with the civilian secretariat for police, IPID, or various divisions within the police.”

Unimpressed, Breytenbach pushed for “a little more meat” on his answer and later asked what three things he would do to fix the police if he were the minister.

Mathale initially hesitated, saying, “unfortunately, I’m not,” before offering that he would prioritise “stabilising the police and ensuring we have a team that works together.”

Breytenbach dismissed the answer as a “platitude,” remarking, “That’s like something you can read on the back of a chappie wrapper. What will you do to make that happen?”

Pressed again, Mathale said he would begin by “interacting with the national commissioner, deputies, and provincial commissioners” to strengthen coordination between the police, the civilian secretariat, and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).

When asked how he would tackle corruption, Mathale proposed conducting lifestyle audits of senior officers and enforcing stricter accountability measures.

“There must be consequences for any wrongdoing,” he said. “It should be done through a fair and transparent process, but consequences must be there.”

Breytenbach asked why South Africa has an acting police minister despite having two deputies who could step into the role.

Mathale said that while the President could do so, “you will have to then disappoint the deputy minister” not appointed, and the one that may be later demoted after a minister is appointed.